FIG. 1 exemplary shows a laser sintering device by means of which a process for layer-wise manufacturing of a three-dimensional object may be performed. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the device comprises a container 1. This container is open to the top and is limited at the bottom by a support 4 for supporting an object 3 to be formed. By the upper edge 2 of the container (or by its sidewalls) a work plane 6 is defined. The object is located on the top side of the support 4 and is formed from a plurality of layers of a building material in powder form which is solidifiable by means of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the layers are in parallel to the top side of the support 4. Thereby, the support is moveable in a vertical direction, i.e. in parallel to the sidewall of the container 1 via a height adjustment device. Therewith, the position of the support 4 can be adjusted relatively to the work plane 6.
Above the container 1, or rather the work plane 6, an application device 10 is provided for applying the powder material 11 to be solidified onto the support surface 5 or a previously solidified layer. Also, an irradiation device in the form of a laser 7, which emits a directed light beam 8, is arranged above the work plane 6. This light beam 8 is directed as deflected beam 8′ towards the work plane 6 by a deflection device 9 such as a rotating mirror. A control unit 40 allows to control the support 4, the application device 10 and the deflection device 9. The items 1 to 6, 10 and 11 are located within the machine frame 100.
In the manufacturing of the three-dimensional object 3, the powder material 11 is applied layer-wise onto the support 4 or a previously solidified layer and is solidified at the positions of each powder layer corresponding to the object by means of the laser beam 8′. After each selective solidification of a layer, the support is lowered by the thickness of the powder layer to be subsequently applied.
Many modifications of processes and devices for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by selective sintering by means of electromagnetic radiation compared to the system described above exist, which can also be used. For example, instead of using a laser and/or a light beam, other systems to selectively deliver electromagnetic radiation could be used, such as, e.g., mask exposure systems or the like.
However, in previous processes for selective sintering by means of electromagnetic radiation of polymer powders, insufficient attention was paid to the mechanical properties of the manufactured object.